Field of the Invention
Certain embodiments of the present invention relates to a watertight (sealing) clip. More particularly, certain embodiments of the present invention relates to a watertight clip having a packing and configured to be attached to an attaching hole formed in a subject member (e.g. a vehicle body panel) while the packing contacts the subject member around the attaching hole.
Description of Related Art
The type of watertight clip shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is already known. A known watertight clip 101 is composed of a watertight clip body 102 and a polyurethane packing 103. The watertight clip body 102 has an anchor 110 and an attached article retainer portion 120 having an elongated plate-shape. The anchor 110 is composed of a pillar 114, a pair of cantilevered elastic engagement legs 116 and a dish-shaped stabilizer 112. The engagement legs 116 are formed on opposite sides of the pillar 114 and respectively have stepped end surfaces 116a. Further, the engagement legs 116 are capable of being oppositely flexed inward and outward with respect to the pillar 114. The stabilizer 112 is integrally formed in a proximal end of the pillar 114 of the anchor 110 so as to surround the pillar 114. The attached article retainer portion 120 is integrated with the stabilizer 112. Conversely, the packing 103 has a shape substantially corresponding to the stabilizer 112 and has a through bore 140 that is engageable with the pillar 114.
In order to attach a wiring harness (an attached article) (not shown) to a thin plate such as a vehicle body panel (a subject member) (not shown), as shown in FIG. 6, the pillar 114 of the anchor 110 is introduced into the through bore 140 of the packing 103 while expanding the through bore 140 by the engagement legs 116 until the stepped end surfaces 116a of the engagement legs 116 engages a periphery of the through bore 140. Thus, the packing 103 is combined with the watertight clip body 102 while the packing 103 is seated on the stabilizer 112 so that the watertight clip 101 can be formed. Thereafter, the wiring harness is connected to the attached article retainer portion 120 using a binding tape (not shown), so that the watertight clip 101 can be integrated with the wiring harness.
Subsequently, the pillar 114 of the anchor 110 is pushed into an attaching hole (not shown) formed in the thin plate. When the pillar 114 is inserted into the attaching hole, the engagement legs 116 can be introduced into the attaching hole while being respectively oppositely flexed toward a central axis of the anchor 110. When the pillar 114 is further inserted into the attaching hole, the stepped end surfaces 116a of the engagement legs 116 respectively engage a periphery of the attaching hole while the thin plate is positioned between the stepped end surfaces 116a of the engagement legs 116 and the stabilizer 112. Thus, the watertight clip 101 (the watertight clip body 102 and the packing 103) can be connected to the thin plate. As a result, the wiring harness may be attached to the thin plate via the watertight clip 101. Further, as described above, the packing 103 is attached to the anchor 110 while it is seated on the stabilizer 112. Therefore, when the clip 101 is connected to the thin plate, the packing 103 can be interleaved between the thin plate and the stabilizer 112.
Further, when the stepped end surfaces 116a of the engagement legs 116 engage the periphery of the attaching hole, the packing 103 can be compressed between the thin plate and the stabilizer 112. As a result, when the watertight clip 101 is attached to the thin plate, the attaching hole of the thin plate can be sealed or closed with water-tightness by the packing 103. That is, the watertight clip 101 may create a watertight seal around the attaching hole of the thin plate. Thus, the watertight clip 101 may perform a watertight function around the attaching hole. Therefore, in a condition in which the wiring harness is attached to the thin plate using the watertight clip 101, water (rainwater), dust or other such material can be prevented from entering an interior side of the thin plate through the attaching hole.
However, in the known watertight clip 101, the packing 103 is attached to the watertight clip body 102 by simply engaging the periphery of the through bore 140 with the stepped end surfaces 116a of the engagement legs 116 in. Therefore, the packing 103 can be relatively easily separated from or come off of the pillar 114 of the anchor 110 (the watertight clip body 102). This may lead to handling difficulty of the watertight clip 101.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved watertight clips.